FOCUSED

ADHD AND ADD PARENTING STRATEGIES

FOR CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT

DISORDER

BY BLYTHE GROSSBERG, PSYD

Contents

Quiz: What Are Your Child’s ADHD Challenges? 3

Worksheet #1: Activities and Break Time Log 5

Worksheet #2: ABCs of Behavior 6

Worksheet #3: Homework Tracker 7

Worksheet #4: Behavioral Contract 8

Worksheet #5: Homework Tracker 9

Resources 10

QUIZ: WHAT ARE YOUR CHILD’S ADHD CHALLENGES?

This quiz will help you pinpoint your child’s specifi c challenges and refi ne your understanding of the types of issues they are facing so that you can fi nd the most effective strategies to help them. Check the behaviors that apply to your child based on frequency, and use this information in your child’s treatment plan.

1. My child is often restless.

2. My child daydreams constantly.

3. My child is angry or explosive.

4. My child loses belongings.

5. My child is prone to injury.

6. My child loses track of time.

7. My child speaks out of turn.

8. My child cannot keep up withconversations.

9. My child struggles with insomnia.

10. My child is always laggingbehind others.

If you answered “yes” or “sometimes” to many of the odd-numbered statements, your child may be contending with impulsivity and hyperactivity. The plan you develop for your child should include ways to calm their mind and channel their energy productively. You will need to build in time for your child to be active. Also, be realistic about how much your child can pay attention during more sedentary or tedious activities. Your child might be very inventive and have the energy to explore new possibilities.

YES □ NO □ SOMETIMES □

YES □ NO □ SOMETIMES □

YES □ NO □ SOMETIMES □

YES □ NO □ SOMETIMES □

YES □ NO □ SOMETIMES □

YES □ NO □ SOMETIMES □

YES □ NO □ SOMETIMES □

YES □ NO □ SOMETIMES □

YES □ NO □ SOMETIMES □

YES □ NO □ SOMETIMES □

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If you answered “yes” or “sometimes” mostly to the even-numbered statements, your child may be primarily contending with inattention. Your plan will be focused on helping your child attend and keep track of time, belongings, and other activities. Your child may need to build in quiet daily activities that do not overwhelm them. Your child might be a creative person who uses times of inattention to daydream and create art, stories, or other inventions.

If you answered “yes” or “sometimes” to both the odd and even statements, your child may be contending with inattention, hyper-activity, and impulsivity. In this case, your plan will need to address ways to help your child be more attentive while reducing or channel-ing hyperactivity and impulsivity. Your child might be a creative person who has a lot of energy and the potential to make their inventive ideas a reality.

NOTE: This quiz is intended to help you identify some of your child’s behaviors that you would like to address and work on through the strategies presented in part 2 of this book. It is not intended to be diagnostic or to replace an evaluation by a doctor or psychologist. If you are looking for that type of information, please ask your doctor or psychologist to explain your child’s diagnosis in greater detail. If a psychologist evaluated your child, the psychoeducational evaluation the psychologist provides can offer you very nuanced and detailed information about how your child’s mind works. If you fi nd the evalua-tion diffi cult to understand, make an appointment with the psychologist to go over the report and ask the psychologist to put the fi ndings into a layperson’s terms.

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WORKSHEET #1: Activities and Break Time LogWhen describing activities that affect your child’s ADHD symptoms, try to include details that may be particularly useful to know, such as the number of people present or the intensity of the stimulation involved. Rate your child’s hyperactivity and inattention on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 indicating very calm or focused behavior and 10 indicating very hyperactive or inattentive behavior.

Day & Time

Activity Description Child’s Behavior Symptoms Rating

Conclusion

Sun 3:00-3:45 pm

Quick trip to park; much more crowded than usual; extremely hot weather

More hyper- active than usual

8 Crowded parks do not generate calm.

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Antecedent (What happened before the behavior) Child’s Mood or Behavior

Behavior Rating

Consequence(What happened as a result )Trigger Extenuating

Consequences?

Doing homework

Rainy day today so no soccer practice

Fidgety, whiny, bored

8 Homework took twice as long to do; needed extra coaxing

WORKSHEET #2: ABCs of BehaviorWhen tracking the activities that precede your child’s behavior, note any extenuating circumstances that you think might be exacerbating your child’s reactions. Rate your child’s behavior on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 indicating very negative behavior and 10 indicating very positive behavior.

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WORKSHEET #3: Homework TrackerWhen tracking homework, experiment with different ways of breaking down homework assignments into smaller tasks, and keep an eye on circumstances that seem to facilitate efficient homework completion or hinder it. Use this information to generate a list of helpful tips in the lines below.

Based on the above information, it seems that the following tips may be helpful:

•

•

•

•

•

Get in habit of keeping school books on the study table in the den

Keep study sheet in clear plastic folder (the one w/ math stickers on it)

HOMEWORK START DATE

DUE DATE

Circumstances

What Helped What HinderedASSIGNMENT Assignment Tasks

Math Test

Create math study sheet

Sun 10/4

Mon10/5

Working in den while parents read

Lost math book for a while; was found under the bed

Study sheet every day

Mon10/5

Fri10/9

Reviewing @ same time daily before TV time

Lost study sheet; found crumpled @ bottom of book bag

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WORKSHEET #4: Behavioral ContractAlex is a fifteen-year-old sophomore in high school who worked out this con-tract with his parents

I, , promise to take care of the following daily responsibilities:

1.

2.

3.

When I complete my responsibilities, I will be allowed the following daily rewards:

I will not be allowed these rewards if I fail to meet my responsibilities. If I go beyond the limits of my reward, I may suffer the following consequences:

This contract will be reviewed on .

Alex

finish homework & show it to my parents by 9 p.m. every night

set the table for dinner at 6:30 p.m

pack my backpack for the next day by 9:30 p.m

On school nights, my parents will allow me to spend 30 minutes on

Facebook. On weekends, I get to spend 1 hour on Facebook

My Facebook privileges may be revoked. If I spend more than

my allotted time on Facebook, then my parents will install a time

management application like Rescue Time on my laptop to make sure

the site is blocked after the allotted time has passed for the day

the last day of school

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Based on the above information, it seems that the following tips may be helpful:

• Try better parental controls on iPad, Dad’s old Kindle, or paper books

•

•

HOMEWORKSTART DATE

DUE DATE

Circumstances

ASSIGNMENT Assignment Tasks What Helped What Hindered

3-pageEnglishpaper

Read the book Sun 10/4

Sun10/11

Family reading time after dinner

Reading on i-Pad too manytempting appson there

Brainstorm ideas

Mon10/12

Wed10/14

Create outline

Thu10/15

Mon10/19

Write rough draft

Tue10/20

Fri10/23

Revise and finish!

Sat10/24

Wed10/28

WORKSHEET #5: Homework TrackerWhen tracking homework, experiment with different ways of breaking down homework assignments into smaller tasks, and keep an eye on circumstances that seem to facilitate efficient homework completion or hinder it. Because teens have such a high workload, they may need additional tools, such as pro-ductivity apps, to help them. Use this information to generate a list of helpful tips in the lines below.

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RESOURCES

BooksAmen, Daniel G. Healing ADD Revised Edition: The Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the 7 Types of ADD. Rev. ed. New York: Berkley, 2013.

The author recognized seven types of ADHD, discusses them, and helps readers come up with strategies for each type.

Barkley, Russell A. Taking Charge of Adult ADHD. New York: Guilford Press, 2010.

Barkley, Russell A. Taking Charge of ADHD: The Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents. 3rd ed. New York: Guilford Press, 2013.

Dr. Barkley is one of the most distinguished researchers in the field of ADHD, and his books provide strategies to help adults and parents identify and cope with ADHD.

Dawson, Peg, and Richard Guare. Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary “Executive Skills” Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential. New York: Guilford Press, 2009.

This book focuses on “executive function skills,” including the ability to plan, organize, and execute their work, and helps parents identify their children’s strengths and challenges.

Grossberg, Blythe. Applying to College for Students with ADD and LD: A Guide to Keep You (and Your Parents) Sane, Satisfied, and Organized through the Application Process. Washington, DC: Magination Press, 2010.

Blythe Grossberg helps high school students with ADHD and/or learning disorders and their parents navigate each step in the college admissions process and think about how to prepare for college studies and independent life.

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Grossberg, Blythe. Making ADD Work: On-the-Job Strategies for Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder. New York: Perigee, 2005.

This book helps adults with ADHD learn strategies to cope with symptoms of ADHD and use their strengths to achieve success in the workplace.

Hallowell, Edward M. and John J. Ratey. Driven to Distraction: Recogniz-ing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood Through Adulthood. Rev. ed. New York: Anchor, 2011.

Initially published in 2010, this book explains ADHD, dispels common myths, and highlights the positive qualities that ADHD confers.

Hoopmann, Kathy. All Dogs Have ADHD. Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2005.

Recommended for younger readers, this book includes charming color pho-tographs that introduce people to some of the characteristics of people with ADHD by using dogs.

Kelly, Kate and Peggy Ramundo. You Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy?! A Self-Help Book for Adults with Attention Deficit Disorder. Rev. ed. New York: Scribner, 2006.

This groundbreaking book, one of the first about adults with ADHD, provides information and strategies to help adults manage their ADHD.

Matlen, Terry. Survival Tips for Women with ADHD: Beyond Piles, Palms, & Post-Its Plantation, FL: Specialty Press/ADD Warehouse, 2005.

In the form of an easy-to-read manual, this book provides strategies to help women with ADHD.

Nadeau, Kathleen G., Ellen B. Littman, and Patricia O. Quinn. Under-standing Girls with ADHD: How They Feel and Why They Do What They Do. 2nd ed. Saratoga, Springs, NY: Advantage Press, 2015.

ADHD often manifests itself differently in girls. The authors explain what the signs are, why girls are often undiagnosed, and their special needs in school, home, and their social world.

Orlov, Melissa. The ADHD Effect on Marriage: Understand and Rebuild Your Relationship in 6 Steps. Plantation, FL: Specialty Press/ADD Ware-house, 2010.

This book helps couples by identifying the issues that ADHD can pose in a marriage, and strategies that couples can customize to help them.

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Quinn, Patricia O., and Judith M. Stern. Putting on the Brakes; Under-standing and Taking Control of Your ADD or ADHD. 3rd ed. Washington, DC: Magination Press, 2012.

This book provides strategies to help children with ADHD inside and out-side school.

Ratey, Nancy A. The Disorganized Mind: Coaching Your ADHD Brain to Take Control of Your Time, Tasks, and Talents. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2008.

Nancy Ratey, an ADD coach, provides concrete ideas to help adults with ADHD get organized, manage their time, and improve their focus at home and at work.

Solden, Sari. Women with Attention Deficit Disorder: Embrace Your Dif-ferences and Transform Your Life. 2nd ed. Nevada City, CA: Underwood Books, 2005.

This groundbreaking book revealed that many women suffer from ADHD, and provides information and strategies to help women with ADHD.

WebsitesADDitude Magazine: www.additudemag.com. An online magazine for people with ADHD. Includes articles and other resources.

American Psychological Association: www.apa.org. Provides articles and resources for children and adults with ADHD.

Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT): www.abct .org. Maintains a list of therapists trained in CBT and provides a therapist finder tool.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): www.cdc.gov. Link to ADHD-specific information: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/kids /adhd.html.

Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: www.chadd.org. Link to the ADHD Safe Driving Program: http://www .chadd.org/Portals/0/AM/Images/Understading/Safe_Driving _Program_12_07.pdf.

Department of Education: www.ed.gov. Link to information on Individu-alized Education Programs (IEPs): http://www2.ed.gov/parents/needs /speced/iepguide/index.html#process.

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Feingold Diet: www.feingold.org. Provides information about the Feingold Diet.

National Resource Center on ADHD: www.help4adhd.org. The National Resource Center on ADHD (NRC) is the nation’s clearinghouse for the latest evidence-based information on ADHD. The NRC is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities.

Project Meditation: www.project-meditation.org. Link to information on visualization during meditation: http://www.project-meditation.org/a_mt4/meditation_visualization_techniques.html.

Wrightslaw: www.wrightslaw.com. Provides information about special education law and advocacy for children with disabilities, including 504 plans and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), among other legal issues.

Software, Applications, and Other ToolsCogmed: www.cogmed.com. Helps people with attention problems caused by issues with their working memory. App for Apple and Android.

iStudiez: www.istudentpro.com. Helps students track assignments and record grades.

“Now You Can Find It!” Wireless Electronic Locator by Sharper Image: Available from various sellers, product includes eight colored fobs that can be attached to objects for easy location when lost.

RescueTime: www.rescuetime.com. Allows people to track how they spend time on their computers and on the Internet and includes a block-ing device. Available for PC, Mac, and Android.

SmartHome: www.smarthome.com. Offers keyless locks, among other projects, that can help people who often lose track of their keys.

Tasks Everyday: www.taskseveryday.com. Offers assistance from virtual assistants based in India who can be hired on an hourly basis.

Things (Task Manager): culturedcode.com/things. Personal task man-agement application for MAC and IOS.

White Noise by TMSOFT: Available from iTunes. An ambient noise application for Mac and Android.

Zirtual: www.zirtual.com: Dedicated virtual assistants for entrepreneurs, professionals, and small teams.

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